SLIIT Teams become Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023 – World Finalists showcasing exceptional ingenuity and innovation on a global stage
As an institute with an unparalleled reputation for supporting students to reach the highest levels of excellence, SLIIT delivered, once again, with its students showcasing their exceptional ingenuity and innovation on a global platform.
Two SLIIT teams recently qualified as World Finalists for the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023, solidifying their place among the brightest minds in the competition. The two, Sipsara and The Green Tycoon, students of SLIIT’s Faculty of Computing, successfully reached the World Finals (Asia) stage of the competition. They were among the top 48 teams who made it to the World Finals, showcasing their mental and technical prowess in this field.
The Green Tycoon’s CarboMeter project won the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023 South East Asia New Markets semifinals and finals in the Earth category and represented Sri Lanka as an Imagine Cup World Finalist from Sri Lanka. The team was comprised of Sathees Paskaran, Anjalie Gamage as supervisor and Sanjeevi Chandrasiri as co-supervisor.
Understanding the need for a tool to measure emissions towards successful carbon accounting, the project CarboMeter simplifies emission tracking in real-time with an AI-assisted carbon accounting mobile app. The app collects and calculates emissions based on a natural language description, either vocally or textually, of the emission based on the information provided by the user. CarboMeter can track a wide variety of emission activities such as electricity, travel, fuel burning, and others.
Commenting on the achievement, Sathees Paskaran said, “This achievement was made possible due to the tireless support from university, supervisors, lecturers, and my friends.”
Competing under the education category, Team Sipsara showcased an E-Learning Education System for children with Down Syndrome. The team was comprised of A.S.T. Sampath, M.W. Vidanapathirana, T.B.A Gunawardana and P.W.H Sandeepani. Their supervisor was Sanjeevi Chandrasiri.
Importantly, this is the first web-based application that measures ability and helps Sri Lankan children with Down syndrome to develop their skills. The tool serves to interpret and express the mindset of these children through their free-hand sketch drawing, voice training, intercommunicating and logical intellect, and word prediction activities, thus, becoming a vital source to predict the development of the children.
Sipsara uses Down syndrome children’s hand-drawn images, voice samples, letters, numbers, and words as input and compares this against their teacher’s samples to measure accuracy and similarity, thereby assessing their skill levels. The system uses cutting-edge technologies such as Image Processing, Voice Recognition, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to create a friendlier, activity-based e-learning system.
The SLIIT Faculty of Computing is renowned as the largest faculty of computing in Sri Lanka and has achieved wide recognition locally as well as internationally over a period of over 20 years. The faculty offers a BSc (Hons) in Information Technologywith number of specialisations, including Software Engineering, Data Science, Information Technology, Computer Systems and Network Engineering, Information Systems Engineering, Cyber Security and Interactive Media, with an aim to produce the most robust computing professionals of the future – life-long learners equipped with strong analytical, problem solving, and communication skills.
This year, the Faculty of Computing launched two brand new degrees that are catering to the forefront of technology and industry demand. BSc (Hons) in Computer Science and BSc (Hons) in Computer Systems Engineering, which is now open for students who have followed A/Ls in the Physical Science stream,
SLIIT’s success at the Microsoft Imagine Cup over the years is a testament to the quality of its programmes and the depth of its faculty’s support in directing and motivating students to develop innovative systems. Students gain superior knowledge, skills and abilities throughout the tenure of their programmes, supporting their journey towards becoming entrepreneurs or worthy employees and contributing to the industry’s growth. Together with support from their supervisors, SLIIT students have displayed their uniqueness, creativity, dedication, and hard work in developing innovative systems.
As in previous years, the Imagine Cup 2023 – Microsoft’s annual premier student technology competition – drew the attention of young and aspiring tech enthusiasts across the globe. The Cup provides a platform for bright young minds to showcase their technical abilities and present cutting-edge solutions to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges in the categories of Earth, Education, Health, and Lifestyle.
With its mission to empower the next generation of creators and problem-solvers, the competition has seen an overwhelming response from students who are eager to showcase their innovative ideas, deepen their business acumen and technical learning, and make a positive impact on society.
